Macromol. Chem. Phys. 16/2018

Abstract

Front Cover: In article https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201800177, Timothy E. Long and co‐workers report the characterization, and tissue scaffold applications of poly(β‐thioester)s. The monomer isosorbide diacrylate (iSDA) and commercially available dithiols allow access to a range of biosourced, degradable polymers. Altering the dithiol identity significantly affects the glass transition Tgs of the polymer products; however, polymers do not exhibit Tgs above room temperature. Incorporating the comonomer N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide provides mechanical reinforcement through hydrogen bonding, resulting in soft, pliable materials. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and variable temperature fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicates that increases in mechanical integrity results from hydrogen bonding. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) reveals materials that exhibit suitable moduli and service windows at body temperature. Biological evaluation demonstrates favorable cytotoxicity and cell attachment, rendering these materials potential candidates as novel scaffold materials for tissue growth.